Automatic can-labeling machine.



N. YAMAMOTO.

AUTOMATIC CAN LABELING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FlL-ED APR.22| 19 18- Iatented Jan. 21,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I;

I N V E NTO R Mfiy i'ro Vania/22072.

ATTOR EY N. YAIVIAIVIOT AUTOMATIC CAN LABELING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AIILZZ, I9I8.

m K, INVENTOR fl/o Patented Jan. 21,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Xmamo/o.

NOIBUJIRO YAMAMOTO, OF ASTORIA, OREGON.

AUTOMATIC CAN-LABELING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 21, 1919.

Application filed April 22, 1918. Serial No. 229,959.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NOBUJIRO YAMA uo'ro. a subject of the Emperor of apan, residlng at Astoria, in the county of Clatsop and State of Oregon, have invented a new and useful Automatic Can-Labelin Machine, of which the following is a'speci cation.

My invention relates to improvements in can labeling machines in which round cans receive paste and labels while descending a curved track, and in'which a rotary lever, a rotary valve and the gravity of the cans cooperate in timing the despatch of the individu'al cans.

The objects of my invention are, to substitute an automatic machine for the manual efforts of several men.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure I is a plan view of my machlne, the receiving chute, for clea'rness sake, being omitted; Fig. II, a'section of Fig. I along the line aa, but showing the chute in place; Fig. III, an end view, with the observer standing at the discharging'end and lookingtoward the rec'eivin chute, Figs. IV, V and VI are diagrams, illustrating the working of my timing'device; Fig. VII 1s aside view of the rotary valve, with special reference'to the side lock; Fig. VIII, a partial plan view of Fig. VII; Fig. IX, a part of the receiving chute in section, to show the rectangular lever which acts as part of the peripheral lock; Fig. X, a partial end view of the receiving chute as seen 1n the direction of the arrows 6-6 in Fig. IX; Fig.

XI, an alternate construction'of the jaw.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring especially to Fig. II, there is shown a lever with two arms 1 and 1, mounted rotatively at 2 in a frame work 3,

which latter also supports all the other elements of my machine. The ends of the arms are weighted with troughlike jaws 4 and 4 adapted to follow a can, such as indicated by the dotted circle 5, on its course. The lips of the jaws are provided with rollers 6, making the revolution of the can within the jaw as frictionless as possible.

It may be mentioned at this time that one lip in each jaw has'also laterally extending knobby projections 7especially notlceable in Figs. I and IIIthe reasons for which, however, will be stated later.

The unlabeled cans are rolled down the inclined .chute 8, intercepted by the rotary valve 9 and held there pending the arrival of jaw 4 or 4. After release in due course, can and jaw travel down the arcuated angle iron track 10, the can, in passing the roller 11, receiving a trip of viscid or pasty substance, the latter being stored in the reservoir 12. Farther down the track one of the labels 13 will adhere to that sticky strip and wind itself around the can while said can continues to revolve. Another strip of n'iucilaginous material is applied by the endless belt 14 just before the last end of the label reaches the can. The labeling process being completed, with the label properly smoothed and pressed on by the rollers 6, the can now proceeds down the incline 15 andthereby disengages itselffrom the jaw. The latter however, impelled by the momentum-of the can, continues to rotate around 2 until theopposite jaw has arrived at the valve 9 ready to-rec'eive another can.

The endless belt 14, previously referred to, is supported on rollers 16 and 17 and fed with mucilaginous substance from the receptacle 18. The inclined wall 19 of this receptacle prevents the labels 13 from sliding offthe label holder 20; while an angular projection 21, on top ofthe wall 19, limits the upward motion of label holder and labels. To keep the labels at their proper height the label holder is slidably mounted in slot 22 and suspended from the counterweighted arm 23 bymeans of link 24.

At point 25, and throughout the major length of the labels, the arcuated track 10 is cut away to permit the labels to occupy the whole width of the rolling cans.

The'track 10 being slightly narrower than the inside width of frame 3, filling-in pieces 26 are employed where 1-ivets'27 connect the track with the frame.

A flange 28 at the chute 8 guides the cans into the rotaryvalve 9.

Belt 29 transmits the rotation from the lever arms 1 and 1 to roller 16, and belt 30 from va'lve9 to roller 11.

The operation of the rotary valve 9 can best be explained by means of'the diagrams.

In Fig. IV We notic the valve with its four compartments 9%9", 9and 9; 'with'its side lock represented by pawl 31 and four side teeth 32; with its peripheral lock in the shape of four teeth 33 in the periphery of the valve end-plate, acted upon by the rectangular lever' 34;, the latters center 'of motion lying in the chute 8. The arcuated track below the valve is indicated by 10, the jaw by 4, the guiding flange on the chute by 28, and three cans by 5*, 5 and 5. Compartment 9 has alined itself with the track 10 for the release of can 5 which latter, descending the track, imparts to jaw 4: the momentum, required to bring the opposite jaw et back to the valve 9. At the same time can 5 has dropped into compartment 9 and will rest there so long as tooth 32 is held by pawl 31. The rectangular lever 34 is gliding with its lower leg along the circumference of the valve end-plate.

In Fig. V the same condition prevails except that can 5* has departed and jaw l arrived, ready to receive can 5 as soon as the previously mentioned knobby projection 7 on the jaw strikes against pawl 31 and presses latter aside.

The ensuing position-is illustrated in Fig. 1X 1 Here we see the tooth 32 having passed pawl 31. The can 5 rests artly in compartment 9 and partly in jaw l can 5, following closely after can 5*, has landed on the upper leg of the rectangular lever 34, whereby the lower leg is lifted off the periphery of the valve end-plate and the peripheral lock avoided; this gives can 5 free range to follow can 5 Fig. IV, in its downward career. I

Should can 5 be eliminated, then the rectangular lever 34: would assume the position indicated by the dotted line 343, that would look the tooth 33 and therewith everything else until the next can is thrown into chute 8! thus, once the first can is sent through, the labeling process becomes automatic throughout the canning operation.

For the first can of the series the lacking momentum of the rotary lever has, of course, to be supplied by hand, as by pressing the knobby projection 7 in Fig. V past the pawl 31; and for the last can the rectangular lever in Fig. VI has also to be lifted manually from the position 34? to the one shown for 34:.

In Figs. VII and VIII the detail construction of the side lock is shown. Rotary valve 9 is secured to shaft 35, which latter rests in frame 3, as does also pawl 31 which engages the side teeth 32. Point 36 indicates the place where the jaw with its knobby projection strikes, thereby pressing the pawl into 'the recess 37 and letting tooth 32 pass. A

fiat steel spring 38, acting'o-n the head 39 of the pusher rod 40, snaps the pawl back into normal position.

Figs. IX and X illustrate the rectangular lever 34: in section and end view respectively.

its various parts is carefully proportioned to the weight of the cans and, unless the friction, acting on said lever, is constantly kept at a minimum, there is apt to be a loss of centrifugal force which might prevent the knobby projection 7 from striking past the pawl 31. To circumvent possible unsatisfactory action on that account, I have invented an alternate construction of the jaw, as shown in Fig. XI, and which I also desire to have protected by Letters Patent.

Here one part of the jaw is hinged at point 43 thus allowing it to assume the position indicated by the dotted lines. Now, if the jaw swings into the position indicated by @in Fig. II, the hinged part will depend while, at the same time, the jaw which takes the place now occupied by 4 will close to a semi-circle, so that thebalance of the two arms 1 and 1 must necessarily be in favor of the former. An extra weight 44: is added to the hinged part in order to increase the hammer effect, especially when the knobby projection 7 encounters the resistance of pawl 31.

With these three forces, the centrifugal force imparted by the descending can, the force of the increased momentum at aw 4, and finally the force of impact exerted by the hinged jaw, all working in unison and augmenting each other, the knobby projection is enabled to press the pawl aside without any difliculty.

Having fully described my invention, it will be seen that my objects have been accomplished, and though I have shown the preferred form of my invention, I reserve to myself the right to' make such changes in construction as will not violate the disclosed principle. I

I. claim:

1. An automatic can labeling machine, comprising an arcuated track adapted to guide round cans, a rotary lever with its fulcrum disposed concentrically to said track, a rotary valve at the upper terminal of the track having pockets to hold the cans and having locks to. hold the-valve, the ends of the rotary lever movable past the valve and adjacent the track, having means to release the valve locks and simultaneously to engage the cans in the pockets, and a receivguide round cans, a rotary lever with its fulcrum disposed concentrically to the track,

having trough-like aws at the terminals of said levers adapted to hold cans and being rotated by the descending cans, a rotary valve provided with retaining means for holding the cans at the upper terminal of the arouated track, an inclined receiving chute surmounting the rotary valve and guiding the cans into the valve, and means for releasing said retaining means only when the jaw on the rotary lever has swung into position to receive it, all embodied in a frame, substantially as described.

3. An automatic can labeling machine, comprising an arcuated track, a rotary lever with its fulcrum disposed concentrically to said track and being rotated by the descending cans, a rotary valve adapted to hold cans, a side lock on the valve end-plate consisting of a pawl and ratchet teeth and released by the rotary lever, a peripheral lock consisting of ratchet teeth on the periphery of the valve end-plate, an inclined receiving chute surmounting said rotary valve and being adapted to guide the cans into the valve, a rectangular lever attached to the inclined receiving chute and released by the pressure of a can on said rectangular lever, substantially as set forth.

4:. An automatic can labeling machine, comprising an arcuated track, a rotary lever with its fulcrum concentrically to the track and being rotated by the descending cans, troughlike jaws at the terminals of said lever having one part of each jaw hinged to increase the rotative force of the lever in a certain position, a rotary valve having four compartments having a pawl and ratchet teeth as a side lock having a rectangular lever and ratchet teeth on the pe riphery of the valve end-plate as a peripheral lock, the side look being released by the rotary arm and the peripheral look by the weight of a can, a receiving chute for conveying the can into the valve, and all sup ported by a frame.

NOBUJIRO YAMAMOTO.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing theCommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

